PASADENA, Calif. (April 13, 2023) – The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Association has

selected eight high school seniors as the 2023 ROSE Scholars. This year, the program awarded

$20,000 in scholarships to eight graduating seniors from the Pasadena Unified School District

(PUSD). ROSE Scholars, presented by Citizens Business Bank, is a program designed to help

students in our community thrive and to foster their potential.

2023 ROSE Scholars:

Arleth Angeles –

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Katelyn Castillo–

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Stephanie Barcenas –

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Valeria Hernandez –

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Naomi Blas –

John Muir High School

Amina Malone –

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Giselle Carlos –

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School

Diana Sanchez –

Rose City High School

Arleth Angeles is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. She is

involved in the National Honor Society, Associated Student Body as the Student Store Manager,

Vice President of the Latino Club and Secretary of the Fashion Club. Arleth has also been involved

in the Screen-Printing Club, Rock the Street Wall Street Financial Literacy Club and the Social

Justice Club. Some of her hobbies include art, hiking, literature and music. Her volunteer

experience includes the Gilb Museum of Arcadia Heritage and a previous internship with the

Huntington Medical Research Institute. Arleth plansto major in psychology and minor in business

at UC Berkeley and hopes to be a business owner one day.

Stephanie Barcenas is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. She is

currently involved in her school and community with the PUSD Student Think Tank, The Learning

Curve Anthology Editor, Latino Club, Storyteller’s Club, Cal State LA Upward Bound, city of

Pasadena Youth Ambassador, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Teen Council, Chris Holden’s

Young Legislators Program and Day One Youth Advocate. Stephanie has also been involved in the

Girl’s Voices Now 2023 Summer Cohort, College Access Plan, Tournament of Roses Student

Ambassador and the city of Pasadena Department of Transportation Intern. Her hobbies include

museum and gallery browsing, traveling, watching Nora Ephron films and listening to music by

Skegss. Stephanie will be attending Wellesley College, her dream school, and plans to continue

filmmaking with an emphasis on documentary storytelling. She also hopes to study abroad and

gather stories from around the world to bring to light women’s struggles.

Naomi Blas is a graduating senior from John Muir high school. She is involved with the College

Access Plan, Muir’s free college prep program. She is also a Class of 2023 Student Volunteer

whosupports to the senior class and associate student body. Naomi has assisted in football

games, fundraisers and Muir’s senior nights. Naomi has also volunteered with the Volunteers of

America. Her hobbies include hiking, cleaning and spending time with her family.

She is a first-generation student and is, therefore, very passionate about pursuing higher

education and becoming the first in her family to receive a college degree. Naomi plans to attend

California Lutheran University and hopes to pursue a career in psychology.

Giselle Carlos is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. While at

Marshall, she has been involved as Vice President of the National Honor Society, Secretary of the

Latino Club, Secretary of the Photography Club, Vice President of the Financial Literacy for

Women and the Asian Club. She is also the Lifegroup Leader with the Fellowship Church Monrovia

and Book Reviewer for the Pasadena Public Library. Giselle’s hobbies include watching movies,

writing, doing yoga and Pilates, making collages, baking, cooking and drinking coffee. Giselle is

interested in studying film and psychology in college and hopes to enter the filmmaking field.

Katelyn Castillo is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. She is

currently involved at her school as the President of Girl’s Financial Literacy Club, President of the

Fashion Club, Vice President of the Screen-Print Club and Senior Representative of the Academy

of Creative Industries. Katelyn is also a National Honor Society, Latino Club and Social Justice Club

member. Last summer, she had an internship in which she interviewed senior citizens for a

podcast project about their life stories. Katelyn’s hobbies include playing the piano and all things

music, going on walks or hiking, and anything nature or animal related. She will attend Woodbury

University and plans to study interior design, architecture and marketing. Katelyn’s career goals

include working for an interior design or architecture firm and eventually starting her own

business where she can design houses and buildings worldwide.

Valeria Hernandez is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. Her

school and community involvement includes being a member of the Latino Club, Armenian Club

member, Asian Club member, Social Justice Club member, Green Club member, Nursing and

Healthcare Club member, City of Pasadena Youth Ambassador, USA Varsity Regional Cheer

Competitor, ATX Art Center College Scholarship Attendee, Pasadena Flea Market Volunteer, USA

Varsity National Cheer Competitor, CIF-SS Divisional 5 Competitor, and a 3-year Varsity Cheer

member, and a First Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. Valeria’s interests include drawing,

listening to music, attending concerts, shopping, fashion, thrifting, watching movies, and

collecting miscellaneous items. She also enjoys sourcing and selling clothing on her e-commerce

store with “Depop,” which she has successfully managed for the last three years. Valeria hopes

to study psychology at either Fordham University or San Francisco State University.

Amina Malone is a graduating senior from Marshall Fundamental Secondary School. She is

currently involved at Marshall as President of the National Honor Society, President and Founder

of ACT Club, a student-led community service club, and Film Club. Amina is also Vice President of

the Associated Student Body Government, Social Justice Club and Storytellers Club. She is a

Senior Advocate of Planned Parenthood Peer Advocates of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. She

is a member of the Asian Club, Armenian Club, Drama Club, Academy of Creative Industries (for

Theater) and a Bright Future scholar. She is also the Team Captain of Marshall’s Varsity Swim

Team. In her free time, Amina loves singing, songwriting, playing the piano and ukulele and

writing scores for those instruments. She considers herself a very creative person, being an avid

writer and actor. To satisfy her adventurous side, Amina loves to hike and travel. She is also a

proud cinephile, having a deep love for film, tv shows, and movies, having watched more than

1,300 movies and TV shows. She plans to study creative writing in college.

Diana Sanchezis a graduating senior from Rose City high school. Her school involvement includes

participating in the Student Leadership Board, being a teacher’s assistant with the LEARNS After

School Program, and a member of the College Access Plan. She is also currently interning at the

Hollywood Burbank Airport. Some of Diana’s hobbies include music, drawing, and all things

related to science. She is also involved in helping the NO Boundaries 18 Gallery in which her

artwork has been displayed at the exhibit and for which she received a scholarship. She plans to

attend Pasadena City College for two years and then transfer to either the University of Southern

California, UC San Diego or Stanford University. She plans to major in chemistry and minor in

business administration to become a cosmetic chemist. Eventually, she will create her own

skincare company, as it is through skincare that she practices self-care and self-love.

As part of the application process, students were invited to submit a creative piece that

reflected their future dreams, goals and aspirations. A one-page reflection describing their

thoughts and feelings about the piece was also required, as well as still images of their work

and a video recording describing their inspiration. Instead of a minimum GPA requirement,

applicants were asked to obtain a recommendation from a teacher, coach, counselor or

community member.

David A. Brager, President and Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Business Bank, expressed his

support and enthusiasm for the 2023 Rose Scholars, a program that provides scholarships to

local students in the Pasadena Unified School District. He acknowledged the positive impact of

their ongoing partnership with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association in supporting

education and making a difference in the communities they serve. Through the generosity of

Citizens Business Bank, Brager demonstrates his commitment to supporting education and

creating opportunities for students in the local community.

"Here at the Tournament of Roses, we celebrate creativity and the 2023 Rose Scholars are proof

of that," said Alex Aghajanian, 2024 Tournament of Roses President. "We are thrilled to

recognize these students and provide them with scholarships to further their passions. Thank

you to David Brager and Citizens Business Bank for your partnership and giving the Tournament

of Roses Association the opportunity to uplift these amazing young people."

The Association and the Tournament of Roses Foundation are focused on positively impacting

the Pasadena community with charitable giving, volunteerism and community involvement. As

part of this work, the Association has partnered with Citizens Business Bank for ROSE Scholars

and other signature community programs.

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